A Room: A Collection of Horror Stories

By Jorge Harrington

Prepare yourself for a spine-chilling journey through the pages of this gripping anthology, Six Tales of Terror. Within its compelling narratives lie stories of profound literary merit that will both captivate and haunt you.

With masterful precision, the author skillfully weaves together a tapestry of horrors, each tale crafted to elicit suspense and dread, leaving you breathless and eagerly turning the pages.

Delving fearlessly into the darkest recesses of the human psyche, these stories will keep you on the edge of your seat, ensnaring your imagination with unexpected twists and turns.

But be forewarned, dear reader, for once you have experienced these macabre tales, you may never emerge from their grasp unscathed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Sep 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9781649795885

Jorge Harrington

Jorge Harrington is an entrepreneur, father, and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, a Native American community. He is also an author, known for the self-published Not for Kids Series and A Song of Scarlet. Additionally, he owns Betaswitch.net, a platform where he assists recently divorced men in becoming the best versions of themselves. Currently, Jorge resides in Oregon with his son, teaching him how to recognize and seize opportunities.

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About the Author

Jorge Harrington is an entrepreneur, father, and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, a Native American community. He is also an author, known for the self-published Not for Kids Series and A Song of Scarlet. Additionally, he owns Betaswitch.net, a platform where he assists recently divorced men in becoming the best versions of themselves. Currently, Jorge resides in Oregon with his son, teaching him how to recognize and seize opportunities.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my son, Braxton.

Copyright Information ©

Jorge Harrington 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Harrington, Jorge

A Room

ISBN 9781649795861 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781649795878 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781649795885 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023912912

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street

33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

I want to acknowledge Daniel Frank, Gerald Whinery, Matt Mauney, Nick Harris, Ethan Hawke Branom, and Lacy Mauney. You all have given me advice that I will use for the rest of my life. You have made me laugh, and you have made me feel. Even though my passion is to write, you guys have never let me give up on my dreams.

The Plant

There was a knock on Dirk’s door. He didn’t hear it because he had a telephone-headset over his ears and he was leaving a voicemail for a client. Hello, my name is Dirk Looks-Twice and I’m reaching out to you because you recently showed interest in one of our products. If you will give me a call back at 801-872-4365, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and help and have a nice day.

Dirk’s door suddenly popped open and his roommate, Matt, poked his head in.

I keep forgetting that you have a strange last name. Looks-Twice?

Take it up with my mother and my tribe, he said. How can I help you?

Would you mind coming out here? I know you’re working from home, but this affects all of us.

Before Dirk could respond, Matt disappeared and left his bedroom door ajar.

*****

The smell came from the kitchen. It was suffocating him. Dirk reached into his pocket and pulled out his inhaler. He took a puff and it helped a little. The more he traveled deeper into the kitchen, the more his oxygen level was depleting. He had pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose.

That’s the smell of bleach, said Matt. He was leaning against the counter with arms crossed. Dirk noticed he didn’t have anything covering his mouth. My girlfriend is allergic to bleach. We need this gone, right away. How come you did this?

Where is she?

She’s in my room with the door locked.

Dirk’s eyes moved around in their socket, thinking of why it would smell like bleach. Finally, he knew why it did.

Your garbage disposal wasn’t working right. I thought it was clogged, so I poured Drano down it.

So, it was Drano, not bleach.

When I plugged it back in to turn on the switch, the disposal started smoking. I forgot to tell you about it. I thought the chemicals would eventually drain.

Come here, Matt motioned with his hand and pointed at the layer of white and blue bubbles protruding out of the drain. It’s been like this for two days.

We need a new garbage disposal, said Dirk.

I don’t want a garbage disposal; I want a new sink. Now would be the perfect time to go get one.

Dirk looked out the window and then at the clock. I’ll have to go now, otherwise it’ll never get done.

I guess those are the benefits of working from home during a pandemic.

It was nice to work from home for a week, then it got old really quick.

You can go get it and finish work later tonight.

Matt did make a great point. Dirk did not have much of a life to begin with, but since the pandemic, playing videogames was what everyone was doing. He thought if he had to play another hour of videogames, he was going to kill himself.

Yeah, I will go, I have to get my inhaler refilled anyways, but if I lose my job. I’ll throw you out of your own house and let you get the infection.

His roommate let out a laugh. Sounds like a plan, dude. Thanks bro.

*****

Dirk pulled his sweater over his head. It read:

I SURVIVED THE 2020 EARTHQUAKE

He chose this sweater, so he could get people’s mind off the pandemic by giving them a comic relief. The situation the world was in was making everyone act crazy and desperate.

Don’t forget your mask! screamed Matt from the bedroom.

Dirk Looks-Twice’s keys were hanging on a tiny hook next to the front door. Next to the keys, was where his mask hung. It would be his first time wearing it.

It was mandatory.

The streets were bare. People were quarantined in their homes, at the grocery store, or dead. It made Dirk sick to his stomach. His girlfriend was right for leaving him. He did not have a lot of money for himself, especially during a pandemic, what made him think his ex-girlfriend was going to benefit from the relationship?

I’ll be right back! I got you!

*****

There were two lines. These lines weren’t as long as the lines in the early morning. That’s if Dirk listened to what they said on the news. He stood twelve people from the door. At the front of the door were people dressed in gowns, gloves, and goggles.

With a thermometer, they scanned everyone’s forehead for fever. Then they would ask them a series of questions. Last, they would poke their finger with a needle and test their body for any antibodies, if they didn’t have a fever.

Dirk